How many colleagues do you work with who were born and raised in Squamish?
Folks who have been in town for a long time will say they used to be able to walk downtown and know every single person they passed.
These days, as we all know, due to the growth in our population, that is likely not the case.
Some who started their lives or raised their families here have left.
There are benefits that come with fresh faces and more of them, to be sure, but something is lost, too, if there is not the institutional memory of those who remember how things used to be.
That is why Squamish's Deputy Fire Chief Shaun Swerdfeger is an interesting local.
He has strong roots in the district.
The Squamish Chief sat down with Swerdfeger over the phone for a chat about his life in Squamish, leaving town and coming back.
What follows is an edited version of that conversation.
Q: Can you tell us the story of how you became a firefighter?
A: I was born and raised in Squamish, went to high school at Howe Sound Secondary. There was a career program in Grade 12 for the students looking at different careers. I was fortunate enough to have two different career paths that I was interested in at the time. One was the Coast Guard, and the other was firefighting. So, I got to spend that two weeks with the Coast Guard hovercraft unit in Richmond. And that was an amazing experience. And then I was fortunate enough to get it to do three weeks here with Squamish Fire.
They let you really experience different things — what it was like to be a firefighter. That's what sparked my interest. That's what put me on my path — that program when I was, I guess, 18.
I got to work with some amazing people. Pat Hampson was the fire chief then. He was a mentor and a guide for me to follow the path I did, and I got to work with Captain Sean Sweeney when he was a firefighter on the floor. Russell Inouye was another gentleman I worked with; he was a firefighter and became fire chief here. Chief Bob Fulton was another — these are all people who had a huge role in developing my career essentially, early, early on.
I went down to Arkansas Tech University for their fire academy, trained and got the basic certifications, and came back and joined Squamish Fire as a volunteer. That was in 1999.
Q: It's an interesting perspective to grow up here and then serve the community that you grew up in. How does that play into your day-to-day when you're working?
A: Well, I joined Squamish Fire as a volunteer, and I worked at a bunch of different jobs in my early 20s. I was a volunteer here for just shy of five years, but my aspirations were to become a career firefighter.
I looked provincially and ended up getting on with the City of Kitimat up north. I worked there for 18 and a half years as a firefighter-paramedic. I was fortunate to have had some amazing experiences there and worked with great groups and continued my education.
But we have family here in Squamish still. We were back all the time visiting on vacations, so when I saw the opportunity to apply for the Deputy Chief of Operations position here, it was an absolute. I had to apply, and fortunately enough, I met the qualifications, and I was what they were looking for. I started in July. It's an amazing, amazing feeling. I am extremely grateful and happy to come back to Squamish and continue my career serving my hometown.
Q: There have been so many changes since you left, right?
A: From graduating to now, the town has definitely grown and, you know, it is definitely busier, there's no doubt about that. The community is extremely welcoming. You walk downtown, and the people are friendly, and they greet you. It is funny, I know I have only been here a short time, but living here now again, I feel like I have been here forever. It's great. I love the energy in town too.
Q: Circling back to my original question: what it is like to go on calls, and you know the people? That doesn't often happen for firefighters in bigger centres.
A: I would go back to my previous job in Kitimat where I worked for 18 years. I knew everybody. You definitely come across people you know and families and friends. How did it feel? On the one hand, I would say it's a great honour to help your friends and family, of course, and the people within your community, your neighbours. And, of course, you have a great amount of respect and empathy for the situations they're going through. So, you try to do the best you can and deliver the highest level of professional service possible. That's the goal.
Q: What is it like transitioning to deputy chief from being a career firefighter?
A: I've enjoyed it. In my previous role, I was an acting captain, a leadership role, and working with teams. I find now with my transition into deputy chief of operations here, it's a lot of the same leadership, a lot of the same challenges and a lot of the same career satisfaction. I get to work with teams every day and different teams — different specialties. Everyone has such an amazing amount of background to pull from. So, it's a great feeling.
Q: What would be your advice, thinking back or what you know, for girls and boys in Squamish who want to pursue firefighting?
A: It's a huge undertaking doing any fire service. I think education is a huge component. There is so much to learn, and having that ability and openness to learn and challenge yourself, put that hard work in and really shine. Those are the things that are super important. So, get really good basic credentials, National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1001. That's definitely something that's beneficial to anyone looking to get into the fire service in any capacity.
Q: Anything else you wish the public knew about in terms of Squamish Fire Rescue?
A: I think the general public already knows this, but our teams are extremely hardworking. They're so dedicated and so passionate about their careers. They come to work every day with a smile on their face and get the job done. And that's something pretty inspirational to be a part of.
When people see the fire trucks driving around, I think sometimes it can be almost intimidating, but the public should feel like they can reach out and chat with our crews, and they are happy to engage and show the trucks off. And that sort of thing.
And also, coming from Kitimat to Squamish, that transition has been seamless and that speaks to the personalities and the professionalism of our teams. They're highly trained; they're just extremely resilient.
As they have consistently proven through their actions, when I'm with them on calls, just the amount of dedication they have to make in the lives of the people in Squamish that much better. So, I think that's something I would love to share with the public
"About a local" is a regular column that features an interesting Squamish local. Have an idea for someone we should feature? Email [email protected].
